BfHL Sequel: Yours for Forever and a Day
by WhatATangledWebSheWeaves
Summary: Midori is ready to give Izuru her response, but first she has a surprise for him. Major IzuruOC, minor RojuroOC, and mentioned KomomuraOC. This story will make more sense if you read Boyfriend for However Long first. Some minor swearing in Chapter 3
1. Chapter 1

**Here's that White Day special I told you all about~! I know it's two days late but whatever! Just read the story already!**

**Bleach (c) Tite Kubo  
>Any OCs and their zanpaktous (c) Me ^^<br>**

Midori gently slid her flute's carrying case into the duffel bag that contained all the things she'd need for her stay with her dad in the Seireitei. He was there for a week to evaluate how well his Division was running and to attend the monthly Captain's meeting. She was only staying with him until the morning after tomorrow, seeing how she had finals after the weekend.

The thought of tomorrow, which also happened to be White Day, made Midori's heart skip a few beats. For the past month she had been unable to get Izuru's confession out of her mind. At the time, her emotions had been slightly askew from a break-up she had suffered the day before said confession. She hadn't wanted to make a decision on the spur of the moment but end up making Izuru and herself suffer if it had turned out that she had answered incorrectly. So her response had been to plead for some time before she answered him. Izuru had just smiled, agreed to give her the extra time, and then hugged her. The memory of his warm embrace had Midori's heart fluttering and her stomach doing flips.

She then happened to glance at the clock and notice that she only had a few minutes before someone from the 3rd Division came to escort her to the Seireitei. She went back through her things a second time, running to the bathroom and grabbing her toiletries upon discovering that she had almost left them behind. As she stuffed those items into the outside pocket of her duffel bag, a Senkaimon materialized in front of her dresser, and the doors opened to reveal the person who had come to retrieve her.

Midori's jaw hit the floor when she was able to clearly see who it was the had come from the Seireitei. "Tou-san? What are you doing here? Are you shirking any work?"

Rojuro chuckled and patted his daughter's head, explaining, "No, I'm not shirking any work, Midori-chan. As for what I'm doing here, I'm here to pick you up, of course. I would have asked Izuru-kun to, but…"

"I want to surprise him tomorrow, tou-san!" Midori interjected. She then and crossed over to her bedroom door and said, "I'll go and say 'bye' to everyone."

The man only nodded, his glasses bouncing slightly on his nose from the motion. "Be sure to be quick, though. The Senkaimon can't be held open much longer."

Midori nodded understandingly, ran out of her room, and skipped down the stairs two or three at a time. Upon reaching the first floor, she stuck her head into the living room. "I'm leaving for the Seireitei now. I'll see you all on Sunday."

From her usual position on the couch, Nikki looked up from the book she was reading and smiled serenely. "See you on Sunday, Midori-chan. Have fun tomorrow. Give your father a 'hello' for me, won't you?"

Akina didn't even look up from her opened textbook as she slyly commented, "Yeah, good luck confessing to Kumo-san."

Across from Akina at the dining table, Tokkou looked up from his own textbook and frowned at his older sister disapprovingly. "That's not very nice, Akina-neechan…"

Akina's only response to him was to stick her tongue out and then return to her studying while Midori just rolled her eyes and ran back upstairs. She quickly grabbed her duffel bag's handles, saying offhandedly, "Okaa-san says hello."

Rojuro chuckled ruefully. "Of course she does." Gesturing towards the Senkaimon with an open hand, he asked, "Ready to go?"

Midori nodded and walked into the blinding light, Rojuro following her and the doors sliding shut behind them.

**I know I mentioned Midori's music awards in BfHL, but just so you all know what she can play: piano, flute, violin, and clarinet. The reason she took her flute will be revealed in a later chapter~~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! The disclaimers are located in Chapter 1~~**

**And for clarification on the person-to-person vs person-to-zanpaktou conversations, check out "A Two Way Blessing" Chapter 5.**

Izuru woke up to sunlight streaming onto his face from the window of his private quarters and just stared blankly at the ceiling above him. Today, he had taken the day off and usually on his days off, he would sleep in a little longer than this. He wasn't able to figure out why he had woken up when he did until he looked over at his daily calendar and saw what day it was.

'White Day, huh?' He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. It figures; he'd been eagerly anticipating this day for the past month, so of course he wasn't going to waste any of it by sleeping. He threw the covers off of himself and began to get ready for the day.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Not even an hour later, Izuru walked into the 3rd Division's dining hall wearing his shihakusho and Wabisuke securely fastened to his obi. He accepted his meal from the chef and sat at his designated spot in the front of the room.

Just as he said his thanks, his captain walked into the dining hall. Rojuro smiled warmly at the subordinates present in the room and then spoke for the room to hear. "Ohayo, minasan*. Might I have your attention?"

Everyone's heads and eyes turned to their superior. Rojuro didn't need for them to verbally acknowledge that they had heard him nor did he wait for it as he continued, "Today, we'll be having a guest with us for our morning and evening meals, so please treat her like a member of our Division now and then, as well as if you happen to see her around the Seireitei."

Nods of affirmation and acknowledgement as well as murmurings of the same nature were noticeable among the members of the crowd, even the chef and food workers. Izuru picked up his cup of green tea, taking a few sips as he silently wondered, 'Who could possibly warrant Rojuro-taicho's…?'

He never got the chance to finish the thought as the reason for Rojuro's announcement stepped into the dining hall, the sight of her startling Izuru into choking on his tea. Midori bowed slightly before saying, "I'm Midori Otoribashi. Please treat me kindly."

As she straightened back up, the room was so silent that a dropped pin would've been heard. Then everyone sans Izuru and a few other long-standing members of the 3rd Division were spouting questions at Rojuro and Midori as they crowded around the two of them. That's when Izuru realized that most of the Shinigami present had never met or even heard of their captain's family.

Above the din of voices, Izuru managed to hear Wabisuke's telepathic inquiry. 'Is that her? The woman you confessed to last month?'

'Yes, she is,' Izuru responded, his eyes following Midori as she broke away from the mob and took the food one of the workers was offering her. 'It escapes me as to why she's here, though.'

'Perhaps she wanted to give you her response directly without inconveniencing you or someone else,' Wabisuke suggested.

'That is quite possible,' was Izuru's response as he suddenly noticed Midori walking towards him. Rojuro had most likely told her to sit up at the front of the room with the two of them.

As she drew nearer, Wabisuke suddenly pointed out, 'It strikes me as odd, however, that despite her parentage, it doesn't look like she has a zanpaktou of any nature.'

Wabisuke's keen observation brought that fact to Izuru's attention. While he had been with her in the living world, he hadn't given the lack of a zanpaktou on her person a second thought; he had merely brushed it aside by reasoning that she was keeping it hidden for the sake of not drawing attention to herself. But here in the Seireitei, such subtlety and secrecy was unnecessary…

Izuru's train of thought was brought to a halt when Midori sat down next to him. She offered him a warm smile and a cordial greeting. "Ohayo, Izuru-kun."

It took a few seconds before he replied, but he somehow managed to not stutter. "Ohayo, Midori-chan. I wasn't expecting to see you today." Izuru's eyes suddenly widened as he realized what he had just said. He quickly tried to rectify it and tripped over his tongue in the process. "W-wait! I meant, I didn't expect to see you _ here _today! I had planned to go and see you later…"

Midori giggled lightly, a sound that Izuru just realized that he had missed during the past month. "I understand. I had hoped to spend the day here together, kind of like how we did in the living world on Valentine's Day." Her beautiful purple-and-bluish gray eyes saddened, though, before she continued, "But I guess you're on duty today, right?"

Izuru gazed at her quizzically before remembering that he had dressed in his shihakusho. He groaned and buried his head in his hands, mostly to hide the blush slowly creeping into his cheeks. "Well…no, I'm not on duty. I had thought that I would go to Urahara-san's place and just slide into my gigai before I visited you."

Realization dawned on Midori and she grinned bashfully, scratching the back of her head. "Sumimasen. I hadn't really thought about that…"

"It's all right," Izuru returned, a kind smile on his lips. "How about we get going after breakfast is finished?"

Midori nodded emphatically. "Ready to go when you are."

That's when Izuru looked down and noticed, with some amazement, that Midori had already finished her meal. Not wanting to keep her waiting much longer, Izuru almost literally swallowed the rest of his breakfast.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Rojuro watched as his oldest child and his lieutenant approached the archway that would take them outside the 3rd Division's grounds. While part of him was apprehensive about letting Midori explore the Seireitei, the other part realized that she was in good company and that, even if she wasn't with Izuru, she was able to hold her own against almost anyone.

Right as they reached the archway, Midori's head swiveled in his direction and she asked, "Was there something that you needed before we left, tou-san?"

Izuru suddenly noticed Rojuro's presence and regarded him as well. Rojuro smiled warmly at the two of them as, to his daughter's question, he responded, "Nothing in particular. I just hope the two of you have a good time."

Both of them nodded simultaneously and then answered in the same manner. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

As they walked off, Rojuro chuckled to himself. Those two didn't even realize how in-tune they were with each other.

**Translation:**

**1) minasan - Japanese word for 'everyone'**

**Edit: Thanks to KittyTheDemonHostess for pointing out the missing 'f'~~! Thanks, girl!  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**All right, Chapter 3 is up! Again, the disclaimers are in Chapter 1.**

**There is swearing and some violence in this chapter so you have been warned. And a new, hyper character shall be introduced as well~~**

Midori was initially surprised at how far she and Izuru had had to walk in order to reach the shopping district, but that feeling went away when she saw the shops. They were so different from the shops in the living world, which leaned over towards a Western-style design. Here, it felt like she was walking through feudal-era Japan.

Izuru noticed the wonder in her eyes and almost felt bad about having to interrupt her reverie when, to his astonishment, he heard someone call his name. He turned around and tried to find the owner of the voice, but suddenly staggered when something hit him hard between the shoulder blades.

Renji grinned menacingly as grabbed Izuru's head in an iron grip and proceeded to grind it under his palm. "Jeez, Izuru. How many times do I have to call your name for you to answer? Did you go deaf overnight or something?"

Izuru straightened up and smiled at his friend and fellow lieutenant. "Sumimasen, Renji. My mind was otherwise…occupied."

Renji looked confused for all of a half-second before he noticed Midori, who had gone over to an antique store's window and taken to staring at the items on display. His grin grew broader and his eyes gained a glint that Izuru had come to loathe with an undying passion. "Oh~~I get it now. Got yourself a girl now, huh?"

"Ah-I-I mean-it's not necessarily…_official_ yet…" Izuru stuttered, red slowly dusting his cheeks. He cleared his throat pointedly and called to Midori. "Midori-chan, can I introduce you to someone?"

Midori tore her attention away from the ornate dragon book ends that had caught her eye and nodded before walking up to Izuru and Renji. She inclined her head towards Renji and introduced herself. "I'm Midori Otoribashi. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Otoribashi, huh? You must be Otoribashi-taicho's oldest kid, right?" Renji inquired, quirking a tattooed eyebrow at her and grinning all the while.

"Hai."

Renji pointed a thumb at his chest as he introduced himself. "The name's Renji Abarai. I'm the 6th Division's lieutenant."

Uncertainty crossed Midori's features as she asked, "That's, um…Byakuya Kuchiki-taicho's Division, correct?"

"Yup!" Renji ruffled her hair a little. "I'm surprised you remembered that, seeing how you were much younger the last time you visited the Seireitei."

Midori smacked his hand away forcefully and then tried to fix her hair with her hands. "Yeah, I was pretty young then, but don't treat me like a kid now. Capiche?"

Renji laughed whole-heartedly at her display of grit. "All right, all right. Anyway, I've got to make myself scarce and get back to work. I'll see you two lovebirds later." He ran off then and left a speechless Midori and Izuru in his wake.

Midori let out a nervous cough and crossed her arms over her chest, avoiding Izuru's gaze. "Is he…always like that?"

Izuru scratched the back of his head, also avoiding her gaze. "Yes, unfortunately."

A rueful chuckle escaped Midori's mouth, finally drawing Izuru's attention. "He's almost exactly like Akina."*

"Almost?"

"Akina's a teenage girl, Izuru-kun. You do the math."

"Oh…"

Midori took a deep breath and turned her attention to him, angelic smile in place. "Shall we get going then?"

Izuru nodded and proceeded to lead her down the street.

The next few hours were spent peacefully with Izuru giving Midori a tour of the Seireitei's shopping district, only stopping once to grab a bite to eat around lunch time and a few other times when Shinigami would recognize Midori and want to talk to her, or try to push work onto Izuru, who would kindly tell them that he was off-duty.

But if they had thought that their day would continue like that they were sadly mistaken.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Midori gazed around at the budding sakura trees that were located in the immediate vicinity of the shop Izuru had entered. She hummed a little tune to herself, Beethoven's _Für Elise_, as she wondered why Izuru had asked her to wait outside of the shop. Both her humming and her wondering were halted a second later when she heard a commotion. She scanned up and down the street and located the source: a small female Shinigami trapped against a wall by a burly Shinigami. She didn't think twice about walking over to them, also noticing that the woman was in no position to fend off her harasser because of the paperwork she was carrying in her arms.

"I said, I'm not interested already! Get away from me, you creep, or I'll report you!"

The man chuckled menacingly and stroked her cheek. "And I'll repeat myself: my family's too influential for me to be affected by such trivial things. Now, if you know what's good for you, sweetheart, you'll…"

"Hey, Gorilla-san," Midori cut in, drawing a pissed glare from the man and a look of complete relief from the woman. "Don't they teach manners at the Soul Reaper Academy? It's obvious that woman's busy so maybe you should let her go about her business."

'Gorilla-san' stalked over to Midori and loomed over her. "Fuck off, little girl. This is no place for someone who doesn't have a Zanpaktou."

Midori looked to the left and the right, almost like she was expecting someone else to have walked up next to her. "Oh, were you referring to me, Gorilla-san? I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're talking about."

"I see no Zanpaktou anywhere on you! Therefore, you obviously don't have one!" the gorilla of a man spat, spittle flying onto Midori's face.

Using the left sleeve of her jacket to wipe her face off, Midori reached into her shoulder bag with her right hand and pulled out her flute's carrying case out. She slid her flute out and displayed it for the two confused Shinigami, a confident smirk on her lips. "It appears as though I _do_ have my Zanpaktou. You are as stupid as you are ugly, Go-rill-a-san."

The Shinigami was now seething with rage. "You think _that_ is a Zanpaktou? Insolent bitch! You'll learn not to disrespect the ways of the Shinigami and not to disrespect me!"

As his hand flew for his Zanpaktou, Midori muttered, "Shizuka ni kuresshendo ni noru, Yōsei no Ongaku."

The flute's transformation was so quick that by the time the Shinigami had his Zanpaktou halfway out of its scabbard, it had transformed into a kodachi with a hand guard that was the shape and hue of the petal of an orange Asiatic lily and a slender hilt that curved like the wider end of a bass clef and was the color of rosewood. The tip of the enraged Shinigami's Zanpaktou was still inside the scabbard when Midori pointed the tip of Yōsei no Ongaku at his chest. The Shinigami froze for a second before letting out a primal roar and swatting her Zanpaktou out of her hands as easily as someone would swat a fly out of the air.

"While you have a Zanpaktou, it's obvious that you don't know how to use it!" Gorilla roared again, swinging his sword down in a wide arc.

Midori clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable…

Which never came.

Instead she heard the sound of her attacker's sword hitting another metallic object. She dared to peek out of one of her eyes and saw before her a scene that would be forever ingrained into her memory.

Izuru was standing between her and her attacker, his Zanpaktou unsheathed and blocking her attacker's Zanpaktou. The anger in the gorilla-Shinigami's face slowly melted into pure and utter terror at the realization of just who had blocked his swing. Izuru's face was impassive as he swatted the Zanpaktou that Wabisuke had blocked to the side. His hand shot out and grabbed the Shinigami's uniform, twisting the hem of the fabric to locate the Shinigami's Division insignia. "7th Division, huh? Your captain will be hearing about how you attacked the daughter of the 3rd Division's captain."

The man's face blanched at this revelation before Midori added, "And for sexual harassment, too. He was harassing that woman when I came over here to help her." She gestured at said woman, who had remained glued to the spot since before any zanpaktous had been drawn.

All color drained from the accused man's face and he took off at a dead run. The woman offered a sincere thank you to Midori and Izuru before she walked off to deliver the paperowrk in her arms. After the woman had left, Izuru watched as Midori walked over to her zanpaktou and picked it up, a forlorn look on her face.

She then spoke directly to the zanpaktou in a hushed and concerned tone. "I'm sorry for that, Sei-chan. I know it's been a while since I last used you, but I promise I'll use you more regularly from now on."

The zanpaktou merely shimmered and transformed back into a flute. Midori gently slid it back into its carrying case and put that in her shoulder while Izuru sheathed Wabisuke.

Izuru approached her and rested a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention. "Are you all right, Midori-chan?"

The young woman smiled sadly at him and gently gripped the hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine. I just feel guilty about not having summoned Yōsei no Ongaku in so long but expecting her to come when I called her just now…"

Izuru smiled knowingly and gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "She must understand your situation in the material world and be dedicated to you in spite of that."

'He's right, y'know~~!' a voice that carried the same melody of a wind chime chirped for both Midori and Izuru to hear.

'Who are you?' Wabisuke asked brusquely. Through the physical contact of Izuru's hand on her shoulder, Midori heard him, and she jumped slightly at the harsh tone of the unexpected voice.

'I'm Yōsei no Ongaku~~Just call me Sei-chan, 'kay~~?' Yōsei no Ongaku practically sang. 'Who're you~~?'

'…Wabisuke.'

'As in 'penitent one', ne~~? Can I visit you in your world so we can talk some more~~?'

There was a pregnant pause before Wabisuke answered her. 'Sure, I guess. It should be easy to travel here since our wielders are so in-tune with each other.'

The conversation ceased there, leaving both Izuru and Midori standing there for a while in confusion as to what had just transpired between their zanpaktou spirits. Midori giggled after a little bit, easing the tense atmosphere, before commenting, "I guess there are still things about zanpaktou that still have to be learned."

"Indeed," Izuru responded, nodding his head in agreement.

The next second, they heard someone calling, "Kira-fukutaicho! Kira-fukutaicho!"

They turned to find an employee of the store Izuru had visited running up to them, a gift bag in one of her hands. She hastily handed the bag to him and explained, "You left this on the counter."

Izuru gratefully accepted it, murmuring, "Arigatou gozaimasu."

The employee gave a slight bow before running back to the store. Midori couldn't help but stare at the bag. Before she could stop herself, she wondered aloud, "What's in the bag?"

Izuru smirked and held it out of her reach. "Something for you. But I want to go somewhere else before I give it to you." Midori nodded vigorously, her eyes never leaving the bag, as he asked, "Would you mind if I carried you there?"

"Ah…no, not really-!" Midori let out a startled squeak as she was picked up bridal style and whisked away with a series of shunpos. She caught glimpses of the different buildings in the Seireitei whenever Izuru would exit a shunpo right before going into another. After the fourth or fifth glimpse, Izuru exited a final shunpo and set her on her feet.

They were on a forest path that allowed a wonderful view of the sky to intermingle with the musky, earthy scent of the forest around them. Midori took in her surroundings for a little while, then looked at Izuru and noticed the look of anticipation he was giving her. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he muttered a three-word command.

"Close your eyes."

Placing her trust in him, she squeezed her eyes shut, vaguely hearing Izuru reach into the bag, opening something, and then a slight rustling of paper. She felt his slightly callused hand cup one of her slender hands and then something cold, possibly metallic, was placed in her hand. Then, from right next to her ear, she heard Izuru breath another command, this one only two words.

"Open them."

She opened them to find Izuru standing right in front of her and then looked down to find something absolutely breath-taking. It was a metallic comb that had a sunset's-golden-orange marigold welded to the handle of the comb. She looked from the comb to Izuru and back again as tears of happiness welled in her eyes.

With a shuddering sigh, she smiled and wrapped her fingers around the comb, breathing, "It's so beautiful, Izuru-kun…arigatou…"

Izuru used his thumb to wipe her tears away. "I'm glad you like it." He suddenly became very serious and stated, "But before we go any further down this path, I need to know your answer."

Already mentally prepared for this moment, Midori didn't hesitate to say, "I like you a lot, too, Izuru-kun. I would love to be in a relationship with you, if you'd still have me."

All Izuru did at her words was smile and kiss her forehead before pulling her into an embrace, muttering, "Of course I'll still have you. I'm so relieved that you would have me." He laced his fingers into her free hand and began to lead her down the path. "Now, there're some people I'd like you to meet."

Midori's eyebrows rose in confusion as she took up pace with him. "Who?"

Izuru smiled back at her. "My parents."

**I hope Midori's response wasn't too lack-luster, but I honestly didn't know how else to put it ^^" Anyway...**

*** As for this comment, I decided that I'd hint at a future pairing: Renji x Akina XDD I hope ya'll look forward to it.  
><strong>

**Translations:**

**1) Shizuka ni kuresshendo ni noru, Yōsei no Ongak****u - Calmly ride the crescendo, Fairy of Music**

**And for those of you who are wondering, I'm considering doing a one-shot of Sei-chan visiting Wabisuke. How soon I get it done will depend on the feedback I have for those two... The next chapter will be the last for this story~~  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, final chapter! Chapter 1 has the disclaimers~**

**And there's a little surprise at the end of this chapter for those of you who like the Izuru x Midori pairing~~  
><strong>

Midori stepped out of her father's bathroom, her hair draped over her shoulder as she ran the comb that had been Izuru's White Day present to her through it. She looked around and noticed that the light in her father's study was still on. She stuck her head in there and stated, "I'm done with the bath, tou-san. You should take one before you go to bed."

Rojuro looked up from his paperwork and nodded at Midori. "I'll make sure to do that, Midori-chan."

Midori then inquired, "May I go on a quick walk?"

"Sure. Just make sure to wear one of my robes. It tends to get rather cold and I don't think you'd want to be sick on your finals week," Rojuro answered as he returned to his paperwork.

The young woman huffed indignantly, placed her hands on her hips, and tapped her foot impatiently. "Tou-san…"

Rojuro placed his pen down and put his hands up in surrender, chuckling good-naturedly. "All right, Midori-chan. I'll go take my bath now."

Midori sighed and walked to entryway, looking around for one of her father's robes, when he suddenly draped the one he had been wearing over his night-robe over her shoulders. She turned to regard him curiously when she noticed the look he was giving her. It was a look that portrayed all the love and affection he had for her as her father and it nearly made her break down into tears and cling to him. The feeling lessened only slightly when he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

He gave her a genuine smile and said, "I sincerely hope that things work out well between you and Izuru-kun. The both of you have suffered enough for your lifetimes."

Midori wrapped her arms around him in an instant, desperately trying to fight back her tears at the warmth emanating from him. "Arigatou gozaimasu…otou-sama."

Rojuro hugged her lightly and then released her and ushered her to the door. "Get going on your walk. I promise I'll be clean when you get back."

Midori cast him a slightly skeptical look before she exited his quarters. She shivered slightly in the crisp evening air before she set off at a leisurely pace. She smiled as she thought back at the warmth that she received from her parents on a daily basis…

Parents…

Midori's gaze turned skyward towards the waning crescent moon as she thought back on her visit with Izuru to his parents' memorial stone. She had stood by while he visited with them, telling them about how he had been sorry that he couldn't visit them lately, about how he met 'the most wonderful woman in existence', and how he would 'do all in his power to maintain her happiness'. She had even talked with them, but for her it had been awkward. Like she had intruded on something sacred. As Izuru had shunpoed back to the Seireitei's shopping district, she had felt slightly relieved to leave that place.

She also recalled the other encounters she and Izuru had had throughout the remainder of the day leading to dinner. There had been Momo Hinamori, the sickly girl who was getting ready to stand down as the 5th Division's lieutenant and also happened to be another of Izuru's closest friends. Then they had run into the 7th Division's captain, Sajin Komomura, his wife Miyako, and his dog Goro. Izuru had taken that opportunity to report the one member of the captain's Division that had given them trouble earlier. And the final memorable encounter had been with Rangiku Matsumoto, the 10th Division's lieutenant. Midori couldn't suppress the involuntary shudder that coursed through her at the memory of the woman. She had been outrageously drunk and totally out of control; Midori and Izuru had been lucky to slip under her radar and make a run for the 3rd Division. Surprisingly, dinner had been quiet, but Midori welcomed that silence to the relative chaos of the previous encounter.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she collided with someone, dropping the comb she had been clutching tightly in her hand. She shook her head vigorously and bent down to pick it up, stammering, "Su-sumimasen. I wasn't paying attention."

"No, the fault was…mine?" Midori's head bolted upright and noticed the person she had bumped into was Izuru, who was bent over to pick up a pocket book that had fallen to the ground. Izuru chuckled and Midori couldn't help but join him as they picked up their respective items and stood up.

Midori gaze the book a second glance and suddenly recognized it. "Hey, isn't that the book of haikus that you bought at that book store we visited?"

Izuru nodded. "I've actually read it several times through and marked some of my favorite ones." He pointed at the multiple tabs that Midori now noticed sticking out of the tiny book.

Midori shifted on her feet, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Do you…write any haikus?"

Izuru suddenly blushed slightly and admitted, "Yeah. It's a hobby I've had for as long as I can."

Midori smiled bashfully and inquired, "Could I hear one?"

Izuru crossed his arms and clenched his eyes shut, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. At first Midori thought he was going to refuse her request, but when he opened his mouth again, he blew her mind.

"Night, the moon and stars,  
>My love, playing on her flute -<br>A beautiful tune."

He opened his eyes and uncrossed his arms, smiling unabashedly at her while she turned crimson and her hand involuntarily squeezed the comb she had in her grasp. She winced and released it suddenly upon feeling it pierce her skin. She turned her hand over and noticed several tiny points of blood on her palm. She was about to ask Izuru where she could find a bandage when he suddenly cupped one of his hands under her injured one and used the other hand to fan her fingers out, a look of concentration on his face.

He then looked over to his left and noticed one of the 3rd Division's small ponds. Returning his attention to Midori, he asked her, "Could you go wash your hand off in that pond over there?"

Midori looked over and noticed the pond as well before she nodded and walked over there, careful to keep her father's robe away from her bleeding hand. She knelt beside the pond and slowly dipped her hand into the water, forcing herself not jerk it out at the frigid temperature of the water. She held it there until Izuru came up and knelt next to her, placing her comb's teeth in the water as well before wiping it off on his own robe. He placed the comb on her lap and then gently grabbed her forearm, pulling her hand out of the pond for him to inspect. He put one of his hands below her frigid hand and the other above it and suddenly his hands were encompassed in a soft blue light. That light, which Midori realized was a form of Kido, sent warmth through her hand; and when he cancelled the Kido and revealed her hand, the pricks of blood and their sources were gone and her hand was no longer frigid.

She held her hand up to the moonlight and inspected it, awe written all over her features. "That was amazing, Izuru-kun!"

Izuru just shrugged and commented, "I used to be a member of the 4th Division so any injury like that is no problem."

She looked at him, her eyes dancing with mirth. "Well, arigatou, Izuru-kun! Now tou-san won't freak out!"

Izuru's expression became thoughtful and contemplative. "Have you told him? About us, I mean."

Midori scratched her cheek and admitted, "I didn't really have to tell him. Somehow he knew and he actually wished us the best of luck."

Izuru relaxed and leaned in closer to her. "I'm glad to hear that. And actually, I had another question for you." Midori nodded apprehensively, prompting him to go on. He clasped her two hands within his and quietly noticed that it was almost like their hands were created to meld together. He gazed deeply into her eyes and asked, "Midori Otoribashi, if the day after your graduation, we've been going strong from this day, will you agree to marry me?"

Midori's heart stopped for a second, not quite believing what she heard. But it sank in as he held his gaze with her; and she couldn't help but slide her hands out of his grip and slide her arms around his neck. Her answer was barely audible as his hands snaked around her waist.

"Yes, I will. I promise."

Izuru found it extremely difficult to not burst into tears of complete and utter joy as he held her close enough to smell the freshness of her recently-cleaned skin and hair. He was holding the most precious thing in the world in his arms and he'd be damned if he let something or someone take her away from him. He released her waist and removed her arms from his neck.

He saw the confusion in her face until he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She willingly leaned into the kiss and cautiously opened her mouth. Izuru felt the motion and his tongue snaked out of his mouth and traced the contours of her lips before entering her moist cavern. He moaned as she lightly sucked on his tongue and traced over it with her own as she sought entrance into his mouth. He linked their tongues together and guided her tongue into his mouth, savoring her moan at the feeling of pressure that his tongue had given hers through the 'guidance'. They had to break it off there to satisfy their bodies' need for oxygen but they rested their foreheads together as they sat beside the lake, panting and smiling at each other.

Izuru leaned away momentarily and grabbed Midori's comb. His left hand stroked some hair out from beside her face and then gently pinned it in place with the comb. Midori grabbed his hand, which had almost gone and stroked down the entire length of her hair, and pressed it against her cheek, gently nuzzling it all the while.

However, the two of them were completely oblivious to the third party that was standing in the shadows of the walkway they had collided on. Rojuro watched the affection that was passing between his daughter and his lieutenant and noticed how natural it was for the two of them. He smirked and decided that he had made the right choice of giving the two of them his blessing; he also hoped that their relationship remained strong until Midori's graduation next year.

**Well, how was the surprise? ^^ I talked it over with one of my friends when I slept over at her house and she agreed with that idea.**

**Anyway this has been YfFaaD and I hoped you enjoyed it~~**


End file.
